The University of Washington joins 12 other leading North American research universities in the new University Climate Change Coalition, or UC3, a group committed to leveraging its research and resources to help communities accelerate climate action.

The University of Washington is one of more than 180 college and universities from across the country - along with more than 1,000 businesses, cities and states - to sign the "We Are Still In" letter declaring continued support for climate action and reducing carbon emissions despite the absence of leadership from the federal government.

The University of Washington was one of several Seattle-area organizations featured in "Bright Green in an Emerald City," a new report by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce which details examples of business leadership and tangible progress by its membership.

The University of Washington recently joined two membership organizations focused on climate change and carbon reduction. The UW is now a signatory to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and a member of CERES' Investor Network on Climate Risk.

These memberships are part of the UW Treasury Office&'s Global Climate Change Initiatives, approved by the Board of Regents in November 2013. Treasury's Climate Change Initiatives include an initiative to explore opportunities for shareholder advocacy on climate change.

A efficient, clean-burning cookstove developed by the non-profit BURN Design Lab - collaborating with UW mechanical engineers - can reduce the amount of fuel needed by 55 percent while also cutting down on particulate pollution.

Such a stove can make a big difference for much of the world. Smoke from open cooking fires and stoves causes millions of deaths and illnesses, and gathering wood and other fuel can expose vulnerable populations to dangerous risks.

UW researchers studying trees in the Rocky Mountain West have found trees use different coping strategies when faced with drought and warmer temperatures. The results may help scientists determine how forests will adapt to future climate change.

The University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group has released a report summarizing research on the likely effects of climate change in the Puget Sound region.

State of Knowledge: Climate Change in Puget Sound provides a picture of what our region can expect in the next few decades and how best to plan for the effects of a warmer climate. Changes such as more frequent floods, less snow, more acidic oceans, sea-level rise and salmon struggling to cope with warmer rivers are all detailed in the report.

The University of Washington Board of Regents voted to remove any investment in coal companies by the university's endowment funds.

The decision comes after years of work by the student group Divest UW, who have been advocating for divestment from fossil fuel companies. The group sent a petition to then-UW President Michael K. Young in December 2012, and have been talking with the Board of Regents and other UW groups since. Divest UW made a presentation to the Board of Regents this March to support divestment from coal companies.